Like the 21st century computer fan he is, Shreve Memorial Library Director John Tuggle reads newspaper and magazines — lots of them — online. But when he picks up a book, it's one he can hold in his hand.

He has been reading ever since a teacher handed him a comic book at age 7.

Reading is a passion for him.

So is literacy.

The new top library man arrived here Sept. 14 from Savannah, Georgia, where he was assistant director for public services. Before that, he was a district coordinator for the north district branch of Houston Public Library.

As Shreve Memorial Library system executive director, Tuggle oversees a 21-branch system with 220 employes and a $15 million budget. It serves 254,000 citizens in Caddo. There are 644,125 books, with 503,591 in print; 42,265, audio; and almost 70,000 videos. His first task as the new chief of Shreveport's library system was to move system offices, including his own into the new $5.1 million contemporary Services Support Center, 885 Bert-Kouns Industrial Loop, at Kingston Road.

“He is really personable and obviously has a lot of experience. He was able to fit right in with the board culture and adapted to the way we do things very quickly,” said Shreve Library Board of Control Member Neil H. Johnson.

Johnson said the committee also was impressed by Tuggle’s energy level, dynamic personality, good ideas.

“He is connected to current trends, and he has showed he cares about and is interested in staff concerns and doing what the staff wants,” said Broadmoor Branch Manager Jeff Impson.

Plan of action

A top priority for Tuggle right now is the library’s new strategic long range plan.

“We are behind three to five years on coming up with a new plan," said Tuggle.

When completed, Tuggle hopes by 2017, the official new document will set goals for the parish program.

"The system offers so many services, but a plan will allow the agency to focus on resources seen as most important." he said.

Childhood literacy

He is confident that childhood literacy will be among the top priorities.

“One anticipates that the community wants every child ready to read when he/she go to school,” explained Tuggle.

The library system will be ready to help achieve that, he promised.

For instance, the system already offers storytelling and summer reading programs among others and Tuggle plans to beef those up. Impson said this summer the system has really paid attention to quality when designing programs. “We had a program about Jedi Training, a ‘Star Wars’ program and it was highly successful,” he said. So was the massive Pokemon Gp day at Broadmoor. Other branches have presented a Latin Festival, Women’s History Program, Taste of Louisiana.

In an earlier Times interview with Judy Christie, Tuggle said: “I feel strongly about helping young parents and caregivers nurture the love of reading and learning in their children.” In that mode, Savannah’s library system developed ‘early literacy play centers’ for its branches

Helping more become digital savvy

A second goal Tuggle predicts will be part of the plan, and one the staff suggests, is information fluency, which entails “teaching people how to do searches, interact on the Internet … (and perform) information searches,” he said.

So how does the library get from the old plan to the new one?

The first step for the strategic plan has been taken.

“At the next board meeting, the board will approve language for ‘request for proposal,’ so we can put proposals out to bid for consultants,” said Tuggle.

He expects those bids for the $30,000 job to come in from all over the country.

Consultants will make an evaluation and develop a strategic plan, including input from community stakeholders, staff and library board members to establish goals to meet community needs for the next five years.

The planning process will utilize a community planning commission and will result in the final document.

Seeing the town

Besides parents of children, the organizations will include Rotary, Kiwanis, Lions and other civic groups, churches, neighborhood associations PTA, the Caddo School Board.

Tuggle plans personally to visit as many groups as he can while the plan is being developed.

“There will be a lot of town hall style meetings,” he predicted.

The extent of community involvement impresses people who have worked with Tuggle.

“He has reached out to the community already and getting more involved with the community,” said James Gavin, president of Friends of the Library.

Although Tuggle doesn’t have the final say, he feels the well being of children is important to everyone.

“That concern meshes well with my thoughts of what public libraries can do to help our community — support early literacy. My wish is to redouble our efforts, to work with partners like Step Forward and Caddo Parish Public Schools and to make life-long readers out of every child,” said Tuggle.

Employee survey

When Tuggle arrived last fall, he sent a questionnaire to the staff asking them to list positives they hoped he would keep. Among them: Summer Reading Program, Amnesty Day and efforts to address digital divide between those who are digitally savvy and those who are not.

In another survey, Tuggle question asked what the staff hoped the new boss would do and those dreams included visits by him to branch libraries, which he already does by just “popping in.” They also want him to be an inspiration to employes and listen to their suggestions.

Big move

Almost immediately upon his arrival, Tuggle rolled up his sleeves and got to work on the move the 14 offices from the main branch downtown to the new facility.

He moved the executive director and 13 other offices from the branch into the new, 39,660 square foot Support Services Center. The award winning building was designed by SGB Architects and constructed by Don M. Barron Contractor. The offices now housed there include: human resources, information technology, acquisitions, E-Branch, community engagement and public relations, financial services and maintenance for all 22 locations, “to one degree or another,” said Tuggle.

"It was a big job," said Johnson.

Among the center’s most new components, said Tuggle and Johnson, are the automated book sorter, which saves many man hours and gets books back in circulation quickly. “The brand new sorter helps return books in half the time. Before that, it was all done by hand downtown in cramped quarters,” said Tuggle.

The biggest labor saver: the loading dock for shipping and receiving.

In Savannah, he led a major literacy initiative with the largest children’s book festival in the country, Savannah Children’s Book Festival, which he wants to bring to Caddo Parish. (As he named well known children’s authors brought to Savannah, Tuggle said, “I know all of them.”)

And, he achieved successful community collaborations which such community programs as Georgia Historical Society, Step Forward, Goodwill of Savannah and the Red Cross of Savannah.

Tuggle believes public libraries are more than just a place to borrow a good book. He feels in creative ways, they can help with workforce development, poverty alleviation and literacy development.Memorial Library and he hopes to help do that in Caddo.

"I believe we do this by providing quality public education for all. We give citizens an equal opportunity for improvement through self-directed education, research assistance and instruction, and enlightening experiences. It is my hope that we continue improving our services so that we can help everybody be the best they can be,” he said.

A good way for citizens to start?

Head to a library.

You can check out a book and read, of course, but you might also see a play, participate in a cooking class, find a video you like.

My prized possession: I can’t really claim her as a possession, but I very much love my wife, Rebecca. She is my best friend. And I do consider her a prize that I am lucky to have won!

A gadget I cannot live without: My Droid smart phone.

If I could meet just one author, living or dead, who would it be: Wow! Talk about an impossible decision.

What would be the theme of a speech I would give to a room filled with 21-year-olds: Math and science are important to the futures of our city, state, country, planet and species. It is never too late to develop an interest in both.

10 things few people know about me

When I was 11, my father moved us from San Bernardino, California to Hot Coffee, Mississippi.

I am an avid Oakland Raiders fan.

I attend one Raiders game a season, and I already have tickets for this year.

Football is one of my hobbies.

I am a member of Shreveport Rotary club and was president of the Rotary Club in Savannah, Georgia.